Chapter 50: Two-Faced Phoenix Man 9

Huajing’s Crown Prince had only been at school for a month before someone hooked him.

As the highly anticipated Lu Family Heir, every word and action from Lu Xiang was naturally under constant scrutiny. The man showed no intention of hiding anything, which meant that even Jiang Rang became a well-known figure on campus.

In an instant, all sorts of posts prying into the young man’s private life sprang up.

Jiang Rang had been a bit panicked at the time, but he didn’t know if someone was helping him from behind the scenes—none of the things he’d done in the past actually got exposed.

Deep down, Jiang Rang didn’t think there was anything wrong with what he’d done before.

He’d only accepted gifts from those eager suitors who offered them willingly. It was all consensual in the end. Sure, he’d sweet-talked those rich fools into buying him things, but could he really be blamed for all of it?

Even Jiang Taigong only caught fish that hooked themselves.

They were the stupid ones, always thinking they were special. They deserved to get conned.

Besides, it wasn’t like he hadn’t given anything in return. He’d painted them a beautiful picture of the future, sweet-talking and “loving” them every day they were together. All while keeping his long-term meal ticket, Zhou Yichun, steady. Wasn’t he tired too?

Jiang Rang didn’t think he’d done anything wrong. At worst, he’d challenged society’s moral standards. Had he broken any laws?

They’d all marked their gifts as voluntary donations themselves.

Still, Jiang Rang couldn’t help feeling a bit uneasy. He wasn’t sure how much Lu Xiang knew. After all, heirs from wealthy families often had their quirks, and Lu Xiang had a severe cleanliness obsession. It was hard to say if that might lead to some compulsive associations.

He’d only just succeeded in climbing into position, taking his first step onto the path to glory. He didn’t want it all to fall apart now.

So far, though, Jiang Rang hadn’t truly felt how serious the man’s germaphobia was. If anything—and maybe it was his imagination—Lu Xiang seemed especially fond of physical contact with him.

Of course, it was limited to physical contact.

That night at the casino, perhaps spurred by the stimulating atmosphere, they’d both lost control a little and ended up kissing passionately, unable to pull away.

After that, they hadn’t been intimate again.

Thinking back to that casino night still gave Jiang Rang a lingering sense of dread.

Everyone had a mental threshold, and for a young man raised in poverty, money was the most direct trigger.

A sudden influx of cash—beyond what anyone could comprehend—could make a person, especially a greedy one, lose all reason and clarity in an instant.

Add in the gambler’s mentality and some verbal coaxing, and it was practically a death trap.

Clearly, Lu Xiang was a spoiled playboy, steeped in high society for years with plenty of tricks up his sleeve.

Jiang Rang had indeed been rattled—not just a collapse of reason, but the thrill of money, the implicit power play of the one on top.

Was he afraid?

Of course he was. Who wouldn’t be?

He could see how the rich kids in the private box, who usually looked down their noses at everyone, feared Lu Xiang and treaded carefully around him.

In that moment, the young man caught a glimpse of power and money in their raw, tangible form.

He licked his parched lips and blinked through the stinging in his eyes, feeling as if countless venomous snakes had burrowed into his heart. They twisted together, squeezing until he could barely breathe. Yet amid that suffocation, a twisted desire took root.

He wanted it—craved madly to replace that lofty man and become the master of power.

The more he thought about it, the more his expression softened into one of dazed obedience and good humor, creating the illusion that this soft, harmless little flower could be completely controlled.

No one knew that beneath the young man’s hypocritical, beautiful facade lurked an evil ghost dripping with sinister venom.

People probably sensed something, but one slip, and they’d be fooled by his lovely face, gentle tone, and meek demeanor.

Perhaps in the end, those pitiful souls would be possessed by the evil ghost.

~~~

Jiang Rang and Lu Xiang’s relationship entered a strange period of escalation in the second month.

Jiang Rang’s attitude hadn’t changed at all. Ever since they got together, he brought breakfast for the man without fail every day, took notes for him during class, and cared for him tenderly, asking after his every need.

Lu Xiang had never been in a relationship before. Watching his friends act like idiots when they dated had always struck him as laughable and boring.

But now that it was happening to him, it felt… different.

At first, the man assumed that since he’d pinned Jiang Rang down with those tactics, the youth might seem obedient on the surface but was probably resentful inside.

He didn’t care, as long as Jiang Rang stayed by his side.

But the other’s behavior completely exceeded his expectations.

Jiang Rang seemed to have fully shifted into full couple mode with Lu Xiang.

The young man was unexpectedly attentive. He observed Lu Xiang’s habits and preemptively cleared away anything that might bother someone with obsessive-compulsive tendencies.

At the same time, he shared amusing anecdotes from his day in just the right measure. If Lu Xiang showed even the slightest sign of impatience, Jiang Rang noticed immediately and reined in his urge to chat.

When they spent time together, Jiang Rang didn’t rush to display the gold-digging side that others had warned about. He almost never brought up money first. Even when Lu Xiang, on a whim, wired him a sum, the young man refused gently and without a fuss.

Jiang Rang had a fondness for little everyday trinkets—nothing pricey, but full of heart, mostly matching couple’s items. Still, he always checked with Lu Xiang first.

His words were gentle and even-keeled, never servile despite having witnessed Lu Xiang’s power and wealth. In their daily interactions, he treated Lu Xiang with the respect of true equals.

Being around someone like that was surprisingly comfortable. Under the young man’s subtle guidance, even Lu Xiang began patiently soliciting his opinion before making decisions.

For instance, Jiang Rang steadfastly refused to move into the villa, insisting on holing up in his own dingy little apartment. Unable to sway him, Lu Xiang eventually dropped it.

In just one short month, not a single argument had arisen between them.

Lu Xiang had asked him about it once, but Jiang Rang’s answer left him stunned for a long while.

The lanky young man had been buried in his notes at the time. He merely gave a faint smile in response.

He was always deadly serious about his classes, never phoning it in—as if every lecture and every scrap of knowledge was a vital stockpile for his future.

Only after finishing a hefty section of notes did Jiang Rang tilt his gaze slightly. The marathon back-to-back classes had left a gossamer veil of exhaustion over his fair, delicate features.

He pressed the pen tip to his soft, pale cheek, unconsciously dimpling it cutely.

Fluttering his lashes, the young man said softly, “Lu Xiang, truth be told, there are a lot of times when I don’t really have a choice.”

“But life goes on, and I don’t want to make it harder on myself. I don’t know if you truly like me, and yeah, I’m a little anxious about the distant future. But right now, you’re my boyfriend. We’re lovers. So I’ll put my heart into making this work.”

When Jiang Rang finished, his eyes were faintly reddened, the sheen in his dark gaze heartbreakingly vulnerable. Yet he forced a casual smile and turned back to his notes.

Lu Xiang had run through countless possibilities in his mind, armed with the sharp instincts of someone from the upper crust. But in that moment, hearing the young man’s raw honesty, his emotions had already tilted irrevocably toward him.

It was like a fragile new sprout pushing through parched, restless soil. The man had no idea how to nurture it, how to help it thrive.

That very day, Lu Xiang quietly transferred a hefty sum to Jiang Rang.

The young man refused, of course. But Lu Xiang softened his voice in a rare show of vulnerability. The haughty, freewheeling Eldest Young Master Lu looked almost at a loss.

He was like a hedgehog that had sheathed its quills for its beloved.

Uncomfortably, Lu Xiang said, “Jiang Rang, I’ve sent it. Just take it. You’re my boyfriend—spending my money is only natural.”

Jiang Rang went silent for a long stretch.

Lu Xiang felt like he’d been waiting an eternity. In reality, it was just five minutes.

The young man always replied lightning-fast, as if glued to his phone awaiting Lu Xiang’s messages.

Clingy. Adorable.

In a daze, Lu Xiang wondered: When had a mere five minutes apart started to feel like this deep, marrow-chilling unease?

Ten more minutes ticked by before his phone showed the “typing” indicator.

But instead of a text, a call came through.

Lu Xiang pursed his lips and picked up.

On the other end, Jiang Rang seemed to be toweling off his hair. The soft rustling was cozy and mundane amid the deep night stillness.

“Hello?”

His voice was soft and melodic, unconsciously tender when speaking to someone he cherished.

Lu Xiang lowered his thick, dark lashes. He couldn’t see his own face, but a faint flush had crept over his cheeks and ears, like ink blooming on rice paper.

Eldest Young Master Lu slowed his words, his voice husky. “What’s Jiang Jiang up to?”

There was a brief pause, then realization dawned. “Just got out of the shower and threw on some clothes. Didn’t get a chance to text back.”

Jiang Rang’s tone was warm and languid, laced with a hint of soft laughter.

Lu Xiang couldn’t help but swallow hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing. The man kept his eyes lowered, his curly black hair casting an alluring shadow along the edge of his forehead. His elongated peach-blossom eyes fixed on the red rope around his wrist—the same style as the one on the youth’s. The peach wood beads seemed to faintly carry the sweet fragrance that lingered on the young man’s body.

Jiang Rang’s words stirred up images in the man’s mind that were as strange as they were intrusive.

The implication in his boyfriend’s words was sweeter than honey, setting his heart pounding uncontrollably.

Did he keep glancing at their chat screen even while brushing his teeth?

Did he tap out replies with those soft, slender fingers, slick with water, fumbling in his haste? Of course, the dampness would have made it a messy ordeal.

He probably got a little frustrated, patiently wiping away the droplets before typing out a proper response.

Lu Xiang tried to banish those bizarre visions from his mind, but the harder he fought them, the more they shifted mischievously onto the youth’s pale skin hidden beneath his everyday clothes.

He had gripped that waist before.

So slim, so perfectly proportioned.

Lower down would be those beautiful, milky-white legs, and then…

A faint breath near his ear yanked his wandering thoughts back to reality.

“Lu Xiang, I can’t accept this money.”

The youth’s voice came out slightly hoarse. “I know you’re doing this because you like me, but I just can’t take it. I don’t want anyone questioning our relationship, and I don’t want you getting the wrong idea. I haven’t touched that money from the casino either—I don’t want any misunderstandings between us.”

“Lu Xiang, I want our relationship to be equal, comfortable for both of us, something that… can last forever.”

“Perhaps,” the young man’s voice, soft and tender, crackled faintly over the line, stirring the heart, “I’ve liked you from the very start.”

Lu Xiang’s grip slackened, and his phone nearly slipped from his hand to clatter on the floor.

Outside the window, dark clouds scattered before the chill evening breeze, and moonlight spilled down like rippling water, enveloping him completely.

He swallowed instinctively, catching the thrum of a heartbeat under the midnight moon.

His breaths, laced with the night wind, came restless and troubled.

It was only then that the man realized the frantic pounding was his own.

How could he turn away a love as intoxicating as honey?

By this point, he had long since lost control of the situation.

The youth’s blend of genuine and feigned sweet nothings had blinded him completely, drawing him in too deep.

Even the most rational, clever person could lose their head at a time like this.

That night, Jiang Rang failed to turn down the man’s transfer—in fact, Lu Xiang sent over an even larger sum.

In the darkness, the glaring digits on the screen made the youth curve his lips in a brief, sharp laugh.

Jiang Rang shut off his phone at random and tossed it onto the bed beside him, as if discarding a still-bleeding heart.